Book Review:
All That You Leave Behind

David Carr was a colossal presence at The New York Times: an articulate, prolific writer who devoured and deconstructed more media than most mortals encounter in their lifetimes. He died suddenly in 2015, leaving behind three children, including Erin, our author.

So extraordinary is David’s impression that he feels like the main character in his daughter’s story. Erin’s journey out of her father’s shadow is the core of her memoir. How does she reconcile her guilt and gratitude as he opens doors for her career? How does she cope with the other legacies – drug and alcohol addictions – she inherits? What will she do now that he is gone?

There are many tender, funny, insightful moments here. There are also whiny, naïve, grating ones. Erin does not flatter herself as she comes to terms with what her father ‘left behind’.

Author: Erin Lee Carr
Publisher: Ballantine